WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. (AP) - It was a warm sunny day when aspiring Olympian Lance Weir took his final steps.

Weir pulled a canoe out of some rapids on the Spring River. The young, athletic college student loved to be in the cool, rushing pools.

During the fracas his hat came off, and it floated near him. Weir made a fateful decision. He dove head-first to retrieve it. His head immediately stopped, and his back snapped.

The fifth vertebrae in his back exploded, leaving him without the use of his legs, and limited use of his arms. It's been nearly 20 years, and Weir's not sure if he'd change the outcome.

"I made a bad decision that day," Weir said. "I was bitter and felt sorry for myself for a long time. But now I feel like I'm the luckiest guy alive. I wouldn't trade the life I have now for anything. If you gave me a magic pill to change it back to the way it was, I wouldn't take it."

For the last seven years Weir has lived in Carlsbad, Calif., and worked with Canine Companions for Independence, an organization that trains dogs to assist those who suffer from paralysis.

One of Weir's closest friends is Hall of Fame basketball player Bill Walton, who won NBA titles with the Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics. Walton was also a member of the storied UCLA Bruins teams that dominated college basketball in the 1960s and early 1970s.

"If I had met Lance Weir earlier in my life, then I would have had the chance to do something with my own life," the 60-year-old Walton told The Sun. "Lance is my best friend. He's taught me so much about life. His tolerance, grace, intelligence and pure spirit make the world a better place."

Walton and Weir completed a bike ride in October from San Francisco to San Diego. Weir had to pedal a modified, 14-foot-long bike with his arms.

The last stretch near San Diego is a brutal uphill climb, Walton said. Try as he might pedaling with his legs, he couldn't beat his friend, Walton said.

And Weir had a second man on his bike to steer it.

"Lance pounded it out on the Torrey Pines (hill)," Walton said. "He just kept getting stronger. He dropped me like a bad habit. I couldn't catch him."

Life may be good now, but for Weir it follows a dark time in which he had to come to grips with his paralysis.

Weir grew up in Lawrence County, playing football and basketball, among others - "if there was a sport to play, I was playing it," he said.

When he completed high school, Weir went to Arkansas State University to pursue a degree in physical education. He had just walked onto the ASU football team when he was paralyzed.

The robust man lost almost half his body weight, getting down to just under 100 pounds. "I was so sick ... I could have easily died," Weir said.

Grueling rehabilitation followed. The once active outdoors man had to stay inside most of the time because he could no longer sweat to cool his body. If it was too hot he might die.

A lengthy depression set in. Only two other people in Walnut Ridge had conditions similar to Weir's. He needed companions who understood his plight.

And then in 1997 his salvation began.

Weir went to Craig Hospital in Colorado, which specializes in treatment of spinal cord injuries. People with his injury level were there and they were thriving, he said.

"It opened my eyes," he said.

When he returned to Northeast Arkansas, he started to pursue his college degree again. He began with just one course, but over time he was able to become a full-time student.

Life was better, but Weir said he yearned for more. In 2004 he went to California and spent two weeks at the Canine Companions for Independence.

There he received his first service dog, Satine.

"I knew that's where I belonged," he said. "I knew that's where I wanted to be."

Helping children and others acquire service dogs was rich and fulfilling, Weir said. The temperate climate meant he could spend a lot more time outdoors, too.

Before his injury, Weir had served in the reserve Marines. He was invited to Camp Pendleton to compete against other wounded soldiers. Only 50 of the 250 Marines who competed at Camp Pendleton would be invited to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., to compete in the Wounded Warrior Games, Weir said.

The first couple of days Weir didn't know what to do. He couldn't play wheelchair basketball, volleyball or any other sports because of his condition.

Then he saw an air rifle.

He hadn't fired a gun in 18 years, but after a few practice rounds it was clear he could still shoot, Weir said.

Weir made the team and competed in the games, where he won a gold medal.

"It was a pretty special feeling ... the competition was intense," he said. "I went from 18 years of no competition at all to being right in the middle of it."

An electronic target sits 10 feet from the shooter. A laser reads the shot. To score a perfect shot, a shooter must hit a target dead-on that is the size of a pill bottle cap, Weir said.

He scored a 495 out of 500 possible points at one competition.

Weir could have participated in the 2012 London Paralympic Games, but opted not to.

"I picked up the sport so late, and there is a lot of expense involved," he said. The 2016 Paralympic Games in Brazil might be possible, he said.

It will take money and time to train, but he thinks it's an attainable goal.

In the meantime, he plans to continue his work with Canines and bicycle with his good friend Walton. Satine retired a few years ago, and has been replaced by a new companion dog, Auggie.

"I hate to think how my life would have turned out if I hadn't dove in after that hat," Weir said. "At the time it wasn't a pretty picture. I wouldn't take anything back. This is how it meant to be."